How Does
How Does a Tile and Carpet Business Owner Spend a Workday?
Measuring Up
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A tile and carpet business owner spends a portion of any workday measuring and estimating costs on different job sites. He has to figure material, labor and delivery costs based upon the size and complexity of a given surface. All this information is then written up as an estimate from which a customer will decide how to proceed. Some owners work directly with tile and carpet distributors and may only have to do the job after it has already been sold to a customer.
Hunting, Gathering and Delivery
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A tile and carpet business owner who works for himself will spend part of the workday traveling from distributor to distributor to find samples, pick up orders and purchase other supplies that are needed to complete the installation. For tile, the material may be delivered directly to the job site, or taken back to the business shop for preparation. For carpet, typically the installation team takes a precut measure of carpet and padding to the job site at the time of installation, and then cut it to fit while installing.
Installation
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Depending upon the size of the business, the owner may work alone, with an assistant or with an entire team. The size and complexity of the job determine how much of the work day is spent at one location. Tile installation can take one to three days, depending on curing time needed for bonding agents to adhere and grout to set up. Carpet installation can be done inside of one business day for most jobs. However, if the entire building or home is being carpeted the process may take several days.
Detail Work
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A carpet and tile business owner will spend a certain amount of time each day handling administrative issues. Completing paperwork, contacting distributors and clients, creating advertisements and handling financial issues, such as payroll and taxes. If the contractor's business is large enough, he may have a staff to take care of the majority of administrative tasks, and then can focus on earning new business and working on job sites.
eHow Article: How Does a Tile and Carpet Business Owner Spend a Workday?
